


How the Mighty Fall

by 7billionothersandme



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, ULA - Freeform, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-07-27
Packaged: 2018-02-10 14:14:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2028117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7billionothersandme/pseuds/7billionothersandme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They sit in silence, Kieren holding onto Simon, for a long time. Eventually Simon speaks up, “I was going to kill you.”</p><p>“What?” Kieren must have heard wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How the Mighty Fall

 Simon peers around the room, everyone is engaged in gentle and solemn conversation. No-one will notice if he leaves now. He picks up his bag and gets halfway to the front door before Kieren’s hand lands on his shoulder. He turns slowly to face him.

“Where are you goin’?” Kieren looks worried, wondering if Simon’s going to leave Roarton without him, despite what he said.

“Just to the bungalow. Need to take care of something.” Simon glances away from Kieren, he doesn’t want to worry him.

“Well I’ll come with you.”

“I don’t know that that’s a good idea.” Simon silently begs that Kieren will just drop it. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen when he gets to the bungalow, but it most likely won’t be pleasant.

“Why?” _Christ almighty._

“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Simon yanks open the door and marches out, leaving a very confused Kieren in his wake.

 

* * *

 

The walk to the bungalow is mostly silent, Kieren asks if he can take Simon’s bag a couple of times, but Simon continues to march on, a look of stony concentration on his pale face.

The lights are on in the bungalow, which strikes Kieren as odd, seeing as it’s only Simon and Amy that live there. Brian is leaning against the doorway, but straightens up to block the door when he notices Simon.

“Get out of my way, Brian.” Simon’s voice is low and menacing, but Brian doesn’t back down.

“Zoe has stated that all traitors are to be forbidden from entering.” He crosses his arms over his chest, trying to make himself seem bigger.

Simon scoffs slightly and shakes his head, glancing back to Kieren with his eyebrows raised as if to say ‘oh well’. Before Kieren can blink, Simon has Brian pressed against the door with his arm across his throat and violence in his eyes, “Let. Me. In.”

He pulls away from Brian, who collapses on the ground and hurriedly shuffles out of the way of the door. Simon’s terrifyingly polite demeanour returns and he smiles at Brian before thanking him and flinging the door open.

Kieren hesitates, trying to decide between helping Brian or going after Simon, but opts for the latter and runs into the bungalow after him.

 

* * *

 

All of Simon’s followers are seated in the living room, talking amongst themselves, while Zoe watches, seated on the sofa that Simon had preached from only yesterday. As soon as Simon appears in the doorway everyone falls silent, glancing between him and Zoe, unsure of what to do. Zoe stands, “You can’t be here!”

Simon raises his eyebrows, “Oh, can I not?”

“No,” Zoe takes a step forward, defiance clear on her face, “You’re a traitor, the Undead Prophet himself said so!” She pauses, “You’re Judas.”

A shadow falls across Simon’s face, and before Kieren can stop him he’s grabbing Zoë the collar of her jacket and pulling her to the door, before pushing her out. She tries to run back in, but Kieren puts his hand on her shoulder and shakes his head.

Simon marches back to the doorway of the living room, “Does anyone else have a problem with me living here? No? Great.” He storms into the centre of the room and pauses, “Well, shouldn’t you all be going somewhere?”

The whole room unfreezes and they scurry to leave, avoiding eye contact with Simon in case of further angering him.

 

* * *

 

Once Kieren has made sure that everyone’s left he returns to the living room and sits down next to Simon. His shoulders are shaking, he’s crying.

“Simon-,” He starts, but Simon stands up, walks to the clear section of wall behind the door and punches. He does it again, and again, and again. There’s a small dent in the wall and _God_ he wishes that it hurt and that his knuckles would bleed, but they don’t. He punches it once more, and then slumps to the floor in defeat.

At a loss for what to do Kieren joins him on the floor and puts him arm around Simon’s shoulders. Simon let’s his head rest on Kieren's shoulder and he lets out a shuddering breath.

They sit in silence, Kieren holding onto Simon, for a long time. Eventually Simon speaks up, “I was going to kill you.”

“What?” Kieren must have heard wrong.

“In the graveyard, I had a knife and I was- I was going to kill you Kieren…” Simon rubs his hands over his neck and continues when Kieren doesn’t speak, “The Undead Prophet told me to find the First Risen, so I came here. I thought…I didn’t know, I didn’t think he’d want me to kill you. You were so special, so beautiful…”

“Simon-“

“No, let me finish.” A tear starts to make its way down Kieren’s face, “He told me to find you, that you were important. And when I did, he told me that he was proud of me, and then he told me to kill you. In order for the Second Rising to happen, you had to die on the twelfth hour of the twelfth day of the twelfth month, and I was gonna do it. I was…” Simon starts to cry as well.

Kieren presses his head against Simon’s, “So why didn’t you?” It comes out shaky from the force of reigning in his emotions.

“I was in front of you when Pearl shot, she hit me, and I fell. And then you were underneath me, and you were okay, you had beaten it, and I-I…” Simon stutters to a stop, unable to go on.

Kieren waits until Simon has gained his composure, “I’m just- I’m sorry.”

“Simon, this isn’t the sort of thing that sorry fixes.” Kieren stares ahead, trying to make sense of the information.

“No, I know.” Simon wipes at his face and stands up, “I’ll be leaving now.”

Kieren grabs his hand and pulls him back down, holding him against his chest, “I’m not saying you have to leave. I’m just saying you can’t apologise and expect this to be over.”

“Right. Okay.”

And they sit there for the rest of the night, holding each other in silence.


End file.
